It might seem hard to believe given my excessive consumption of, sorry reading about, wine, but I only learned the other day why the English call red Bordeaux claret.

Well, when I say the English, it’s more like the sort of thing you might hear a member of the Piers Gaveston Society saying in between party tricks involving cross-dressing and hurling rotten fruit at poor people.

People who drink claret, one imagines, refer to oneself as one, if you see what I’m on about.

Anyway, it’s a phrase that originated in France where red wine made in the medieval period was only fermented for two or three days which meant minimal extraction of colour from the grape skins.

These wines were widely exported from Bordeaux. However, although the word clairet was used in France throughout the period, the term claret was not taken up in England until the 16th century.

History and wine, two of my favourite things. Such joy I bring. But there’s more, and this leads us on to this week’s delightful little number.

Later, in the second half of the 17th century, better quality wines with more extraction, hence deeper colour, started being produced in the Graves area of Bordeaux.

The name Graves comes from the gravel and sand dominated soil of this part of Medoc in the north-west of Bordeaux where some of France’s finest wines come from.

Haut-Brion would be one of the most famous chateaux here, but’s it’s not for the riff-raff, more for those Piers Gaveston boys. Strictly speaking, Haut-Brion is in the Pessac-Leognan appellation which was chopped off Graves in 1987 to form a top-end patch for the most discerning drinkers. The reds are cabernet sauvignon dominated while the whites can see sauvignon blanc and semillon at their stone-fruit and waxy best.

The reds in the greater Graves area can offer great value, the Oxford Wine Companion says, compared to the more upmarket Pessac stuff. So if one fancies a claret this weekend while dining at the club, try one of these.

Try this... white

Chateau Le Bernet, Graves Blanc 2014 is all you’d expect from a white Graves with waxy, lemony fruit and a nice mouthfeel and minerality. If you’re into your sauv blanc give this a try for a change. It’s a blend of sauv blanc, semillon and a smidgen of muscadelle. £9 at Sainsbury’s.

Try this... red

Chateau Grand Abord, Graves 2011 gives you dense, dark fruit that’s taut if that makes sense. It’s a concentrated wine that’s well suited to a beefy dinner. Get the horseradish out. For just £8 at Lidl, it’s a steal.